Do I Have To Let You Go Do I Have To Leave You Here?
by bedifferent1357
Summary: Austin is given the trip of a lifetime and invites his best friends. Everyone's excited but because of Ally's new record deal, she can't come along. With romance brewing, it makes Ally ask, "Do I have to let you go?" and makes Austin ask, "Do I have to leave you here?" AUSLLY! (based on Fresh starts & Farewells, I don't own A&A)


Do I Have To Let You Go?/Do I Have To Leave You Here?

ALLY's POV:

"I would like to welcome our guest of honor," Ronnie Ramone started, "the newest recording artist of Galaxia Records… Ally Dawson!" He waved me up to the stage to give a small speech of how excited I was to be given a record deal by his company.

Let me start off by telling what I was doing here anyway and what was going on right now. Trish got me several appointments with the head of a bunch of record labels. After meeting up with plenty of companies, we decided on Galaxia Records because it seemed like the most reliable company to sign with. Now, here I am with my friends, Austin, Dez, and Trish at one of Ronnie's Friday night parties to celebrate their twentieth year of being in business with clients all around the world. He made me his guest of honor giving me the authority to walk onstage and give a speech to the thousands of people there.

I hesitated for a second when Austin gave me a push and an encouraging smile. I walked up there and took the mic Ronnie.

"Hey everybody, I'm Ally Dawson. I hope you guys are enjoying this party. I know I am…."

AUSTIN's POV:

Ally was in the middle of her speech when my phone vibrated. It was Jimmy. I didn't want to miss Ally's speech but I knew I had to answer him. I stepped aside and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Austin, it's Jimmy!"

"Hey Jimmy, what's up?"

"I have some exciting news. You know how Trish and I have been trying to arrange for you, your own World Tour?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, it's official!"

"What?! Are you serious?!

"Yeah."

"Oh my god, I can't wait! When is it?"

"In a week."

"A week? It's kinda short notice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I took quite some time to sort out all the details."

I was so excited. I couldn't believe I was going on World Tour! It was such huge step in my musical career!

"That's okay Jimmy," I said, "How long is the tour gonna be though?"

"Well, it's a world tour. It's going to take some time. I've already estimated that you'll probably be gone on tour for about… four months."

"Four months?! That's a long time! What about my friends?"

Most importantly, what about Ally?

"Oh, you can bring them along. There's enough room on the tour bus and the private jet!"

"Private jet?!"

It keeps getting better and better.

"Yes, Austin, there will be a private jet. You'll also be playing at several places that I think you might enjoy such as the Madison Square Garden and the Australian Sydney Opera House—"

"I'm going to Australia?!"

"It isn't called a World Tour for nothing. So, what do you say, are you and your friends up for it?"

"Totally! I am so excited. So, just to be clear, I'll be leaving for a four month tour in a week."

"Yep."

"Okay, thanks for everything, Jimmy!"

"No problem! I'll call you in a few days to talk about it a little more!

"Okay, Bye!"

I hung up. Everyone was clapping. I looked over at the stage. Ally must be done with her speech cause she was walking off and running over to Trish and Dez. I couldn't wait to them the news. I walked over to them. "Hey Ally! Congratulations!"

"Thanks. I'm so excited." She pulled me in for a hug. I felt the sparks as usual but I just tried to ignore it and focus on what I was about to tell them.

She let go and smiled at me. "Then get ready to become even more excited," I said. Ally, Trish, and Dez looked at me in confusion. "I just got off the phone with Jimmy, and guess what!"

"What," they asked.

"He told me that next week, I'm going on a World Tour!"

Ally replied, "Oh my gosh, really?! I'm so proud of you!" She gave me another hug. Oh, the sparks! She quickly let go.

"Wow," Trish started, "Well, I hope you have fun!"

"Yeah," Dez said, "You must be pumped!"

"Wait, I'm not done!" They perked up. "You guys can come with me!"

"Oh my god, Austin. You're the best," Ally said as she hugged me again. This one was a little longer and the sparks felt like they were flying everywhere. She let go after a few seconds. I quickly caught my breath.

"Aww buddy," Dez said. "I can't believe we finally get to travel the world together." He got all emotional before he pulled me in for a hug too. I patted his back awkwardly before he let go.

"I just can't believe Jimmy actually pulled it off," Trish said.

"Yeah," I agreed, "I'm just glad that we can all experience this huge opportunity I was given, together."

"I'm so proud of both of you," Trish said, "First, Ally finally getting a record deal and now Austin finally going on tour? Being on Team Austin and Ally rocks!"

We all laughed.

ALLY's POV:

We all laughed.

I heard a hand on my shoulder. I turned around. It was Ronnie.

"Can I talk to you, Ms. Dawson?"

"Sure," I looked back at my friends. "Excuse me guys." We stepped to the side to talk. "What is it Ronnie?"

"Well first," he said, "I'm so glad you joined our record label. We enjoy working with talented musicians like you. Second, now that you're officially signed, I plan on working with you every week for the next three or four months to get your first album recorded and on shelves faster than you can learn how to spell, 'supercalifragilisticespialadoshis'"

"The next three or four months? I was actually kind of planning to go on a World Tour with a friend these next few months. We're leaving in a week. Is it possible if we can do everything we need to do for the album before my friends leave?"

He looked at me a little sympathetically and replied, "I'm sorry but that's not how it works…"

I nodded. "Of course. I understand. It's just, I was really looking forward to this trip. Are you sure there's nothing you can do about it?"

He shook his head. "No… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Thanks. I'll just have to tell my friends that I won't be joining them on the trip."

"Okay," he said, "I'll be looking forward to working with you, Ms. Dawson."

"Me too," I said a little half-heartedly.

He walked away and I went back to my friends. How was I going to break it to them? We just got all excited about going together and now I had to bail. I really wanted to be there for Austin. I had hoped that maybe if we landed somewhere really romantic like France, then maybe I could tell him how I feel about him. Yes, I like Austin. He was handsome, and sweet, and talented and every time we touched, I felt sparks. We've dated before but that didn't work out because neither of us were ready. I feel like I'm finally ready. But now, I couldn't do anything about it because I couldn't go. It sucks, doesn't it?

"Hey Ally," Austin said, "Trish, Dez, and I were just talking about the places we'd be going. I'm pretty sure we're stopping at the Bahama's. I know we're stopping at Australia and Europe.

"That's nice," I said "But, I think—"

"But the best part of this trip, whether it would be all the fame I'd get or all the places we'd go, is the fact that we're all spending the time together."

"Um..." I started, "About that."

"Ally," Trish interrupted, "We can go shopping in Italy and we can go swimming in the Caribbean. We're gonna have so much fun."

"You guys are really excited about this trip, aren't you" I asked.

They all replied, "Well, yeah! Why wouldn't we be?"

"No reason, it's just… um…" They were all staring at me wondering what I was going to say but I couldn't spoil their excitement with my disappointment. At least not right now. "Um… It's just that… I doubt that you guys are excited as I am!"

They all laughed and I stood there trying to laugh with them when really I just felt like crying.

AUSTIN's POV:

-The next day-

Last night was amazing. I was so glad my friends were going on tour with me, especially Ally. I was hoping that maybe if we ended up somewhere really romantic like France, I could possibly finally tell her how I feel about her. Yes, I like Ally. She's so beautiful and kind and talented. Every time we touched, I felt sparks. We've dated before but that didn't work out because neither of us were ready. I feel like I'm finally ready. Now, I have my chance to show her how I really feel.

I was walking to Sonic Boom to talk to Ally about possibly writing a new song together to present to my fans on Tour. I walked right in to see her standing behind the counter, buried in her songbook.

"Hey Ally!"

She looked up to see me, closed her book and said, "Hi Austin. What's up?

"Well, I was wondering if maybe we could write a new song together."

She looked around at the slow business. "Sure. Pretty much no one's here anyway."

"Great!"

We walked upstairs to the practice room and sat at the piano.

"Okay, so what do you want the song to be about, Austin?"

I thought for a second before saying, "I want the song to be about hanging out with friends and having the time of your life."

She hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said, "It'll be about how much fun all of us are going to have on our trip.

"Okay… but doesn't that seem a bit cliché to you," she asked, "Wouldn't it be more relatable if we wrote about how depressed you are when you're not hanging with friends?"

I looked at her like she was crazy. "I like the hanging with friends thing better. I hate depressing songs.

"I know," she said, "it's just that some people do feel depressed. It's the sad truth."

"Are you okay, Ally," I asked her, "Are you feeling warm?" I pulled her face close and felt her forehead.

She pulled her head away from my grasp. "Austin, I'm fine, I'm just saying that some people can't be with their friends all the time and they feel sad and depressed.

"Oh my god. I get it now!"

"You do?" She hesitated.

"You're depressed aren't you? Do you need me to get you an appointment with a therapist? My mom says hers really helps her. I can arrange for her to meet up with her asap!"  
"Austin!"

"What?"

"I'm not depressed!"

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" She sighed. "Lets just get back to the song! So, you want it to be about hanging out with your friends?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," she sighed. "Then let's get started already."

She said she was alright but I had a feeling she was hiding something from me. She was acting weird. I let it slide this once though. I didn't want to stress her out or anything. Besides, whatever she was hiding from me couldn't be that bad, could it? …..

ALLY's POV:

Oh my god! That was a close one. He almost found out about me staying home from his tour but I handled it. Now that we're out of that conversation, I kind of wished that I had just told him. I should've just gotten it over with. Even though I didn't want to tell Austin, I knew I had to tell someone, so after Austin and I wrote his song, I walked straight to Trish's house. She opened the door.

"Hey Ally! What's up?"

"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

"Sure."

I walked on in and sat on her couch.

"Trish, I have some bad news…"

"What is it?" She sat down right next to me.

I hesitated. "Um… you know how Austin's going on tour?"

"Yeah."

"You know how he invited all of us to come along?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you see, that's the thing… I can't go…"

"What?!" She stood up in shock. I looked down in shame. "Why?"

"Ronnie. I asked him if I could take a four month break for the trip but he wouldn't allow it."

She looked at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Have you considered just dropping him for another company that would let you have the break?"

I shook my head. "Even though he won't let me go, he's still pretty cool and we picked Galaxia Records out of thousands of companies for a reason."

"That's true," she said. "But what about Austin?"

I paused. "I don't know. He was really excited about all of us going with him. If I told him I couldn't go, he'd be heartbroken."

"Yeah," she said, "Especially since you were the one he was most excited about."

I looked at her confused. "What?"

"Oh, right you weren't there."

"What?"

"Last night at the party," Trish began, "when Ronnie pulled you aside, Austin kept saying, 'I can't wait until Ally and I go surfing,' 'I can't wait until Ally and I go order French fries in France,' 'I can't wait until Ally and I go climbing that bridge in Australia...' Blah, blah, blah, you were all he talked about."

I sat in silence for a second. "How come he only talked about me?"

"I don't know, Ally, but if you ask me, I think he still likes you."

"What?!"

"Yeah," she said, "I mean that's not the first time he's talked about you like that."

I perked up. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "It's like he talks about you like that every day when you're not around."

I looked down. Did he still like me?

"You alright?"

I was silent.

"I guess it would all mean nothing to you anyway… unless you liked him back."

My eyes widened at her words. She saw me flinch. "Oh my god," she said, "You still like Austin!"

"What?! That's crazy," I said.

"No its not," she said. "You have to tell him!"

I rolled my eyes. "I told you, I don't still have feelings for him."

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do!"

"No, I don't!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!"

"Ha, see, you just admitted it," Trish said.

"UGH! Fine! I still like him. Just lay off my back about it, will ya?"

She stared at me in awe, surprised that I actually did admit it. "You do?"

I nodded. "I never lost my feelings. I just, I've just always been unsure of whether I should follow my heart or let my brain do all the talking."

"Which one have you been doing lately?"

"Listening to my brain…"

She looked at me again with sadness in her eyes. "Ally, I'm going to give you the best advice that I know I can give. You should follow your heart," she paused, "but take your brain with you. That way, you'll never end up hurt in the end. Although, there is like a ten percent chance that you could still end up hurt depending on the situation but still…" she trailed off.

"What does my heart want though?"

"I don't know Ally, but just think. What do you deeply desire doing? What do you feel is right?"

I sat there silently for a couple minutes until I told Trish goodbye and headed back to Sonic Boom. I had to think through this. The only thing that helps me get through my pain other than my best friends was music. When I got to the store I took hold of my songbook and ran upstairs to the practice room. Immediately, I started playing a really sad tune on the piano and without even knowing it, words slipped out of my mouth so easily it was as if this song was already written. Which it was. It was already written beneath the scars of my heart.

AUSTIN's POV:

I was walking to the mall to get something at Mini's when my phone buzzed. It was Trish sending me a text. It read, "Hey Austin, its Trish. I need to talk to you about Ally. Meet me at my place in five minutes." Weird… I thought. Why would she need to talk to me about Ally? I shook it off and arrived at her place right on time. I knocked on the door. She opened it and pulled me right in. Before I had a chance to ask what was going on, she pushed me onto her couch and stood up in front of me.

"Okay, Austin. Don't make this harder on yourself than in needs to be. I know you like Ally. You know you like Ally. So tell me, why won't you just make your move already?"

Wow, that turned bad quickly. I looked at her like she was crazy. "What makes you think I still have a thing for Ally?"  
"Oh please," she said, "It's so obvious."

My eyes widened, "Oh my gosh, it is? You don't think Ally's noticed do you?"

She smirked. "You realize you just admitted you still like Ally?"

"Whaaat? No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"No, I didn't!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Yes, I did! Wait, what?"

She chuckled, "It works every time."

"Ugh! Fine, I still like her. Just lay off my back about it, will ya?"

She smirked like a mad women.

"What? It's not like she likes me back!"

"You have no idea…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"NOTHING!"

I rolled my eyes "Whatever Trish, just please don't tell her anything."

"Oh, I won't because you will."

"What?"

"You have to tell her that about your feelings for her before we leave next week!"  
"What? I'm not ready. Besides, I was going to tell her I liked her when we got to Paris. That way, it'd be super romantic."

She bit her lip. "I don't think you should wait until then."

"Why not?"

She hesitated. "Um… Ally doesn't like Paris!"

"Yes, she does. She told me herself that she thought France was amazing."

She hesitated again. "Um… well she doesn't like that part of France. She thinks the fact that it's known as the city of love is lame."

"But she said—"

"OH MY GOD! JUST TELL HER BEFORE WE LEAVE NEXT WEEK!"

"BUT WHY?!"

"BECAUSE, SHE'S NOT COMING WITH US!" She covered her mouth with her hands.

She caught me off guard. "What?!"

She hesitated. "I meant she's not, NOT coming with us."

"Then how is that an excuse for me to tell her on the trip and not before?"

She hesitated again. "I think I hear my mom calling for me! You have to go!" She pulled me up from the couch and pushed me to the door.

"Wait, you're avoiding my question. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just need… to clean the dishes." She pushed me out the door.

"Wait, hold up!" She slammed the door in my face. So first this morning, Ally was hiding something from me and now Trish was hiding something too. Plus, now she knew that I still liked Ally. This stinks. I feel like I'm in some deep doo doo. (no pun intended)

I tried knocking on her door to get her to answer me but after two minutes of trying, I gave up and just headed back to the mall but all I could think about was Ally so I forgot about getting something at Mini's and went to Sonic Boom instead. When I walked in, I immediately heard the music coming from the practice room and headed up there to confront Ally. When I walked in, she saw me and stopped playing the piano.

"Hey Austin," she greeted me.

"Hey Ally!"

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing much, but you know, the strangest thing happened to me a few minutes ago. I was at Trish's house."  
Her eyes widened. "Oh no! You were talking to Trish?" she asked, "Whatever she said it's not true."

I sighed. "Well, she said multiple things that contradicted other things she said so I'm pretty much clueless." I sat down next to her at the piano bench.

"Oh…"

"Yeah…"

ALLY's POV:

I wondered what they talked about. I hoped that Trish hadn't told Austin that I still liked him. That would've ruined everything. I also hoped she didn't tell him about me staying here during tour. I needed to be the one to tell him. I sighed and decided that I needed to tell him now.

AUSTIN's POV:

Ally sighed. "Austin, I need to tell you something."

"Okay…"

She sighed again. "Before I do, promise me that you won't be mad."

"I promise."

"Okay, so, um…" she tried debating on what to say. Whatever she wants to tell me must be really bad. "This is really hard to say, um… you know how we were all supposed to go on your together?"

I nodded and then suddenly, it hit me. Those weird comments while writing our song earlier, what Trish said ten minutes ago about Ally not being able to come with us; it all added up. Ally really wasn't coming…

"I can't go with you guys." …And there's the confirmation. My heart broke into a million pieces. I was really looking forward to visiting Paris with her.

"No, no, no, no, no," I yelled. "You have to come!"

She looked down. "I can't. It's part of my contract with Galaxia Records."

"But I wouldn't be going on tour if it weren't for you. Can't you ask them for an exception?"

"I already did…"

"But it's not just my tour. It's yours too!"

She was silent before saying, "Look Austin. I would do anything to go with you guys but—"

"Then drop your record deal. Come with me and take a break."

She gave me a look. "I can't believe you'd even bring up that option. I like this company. I'm not leaving it."

I sighed. "Sorry Ally, that was a selfish request. I'm just kind of mad."

"You said you wouldn't get mad."

I looked at her. I took a strand of her hair and brought it behind her ear. "I'm not mad. I'm upset."

"But why?"

"I wanted you to come with us. I was kind of planning something important."

She looked me in the eyes. "Like what?"

I wondered if I should tell her about my plan in Paris. Like Trish said, if I really wanna tell her how I feel about her, it has to be done before I leave next week. Today wasn't the day to tell her though. I was about to tell her that my plans actually weren't that important when I got lost in her eyes, in her chocolate – brown eyes. I didn't even realize I was leaning in until I got so close to her face I could feel her breathing. When I realized what I was doing, I stopped myself. I leaned back quickly like nothing had just happened.

"You know, my plans really aren't that important." I bit my lip hoping she bought it.

After a few seconds she said, "Okay." I sighed of relief.

I can't believe I just almost kissed her. I should've just done it. I wanted to kiss her. When I turned away, I tried acting calm and collected but really on the inside, I was FREAKING OUT! What if she didn't like me? What if I creeped her out? Oh my gosh. Why am I so nervous right now?

"Hey, listen Ally. I got to go. I just came to say hi anyway." I stood up.

"Okay." She stood up too and pulled me into a surprise-hug. I stood there shocked for a second because the sparks were flying everywhere but then I accepted the hug and wrapped my arms around her waist. I held her there, even when she tried pulling away for the first time. The sparks were gluing me to her.

"Um… Austin, you okay?"

"Yeah," I said pulling away from the hug finally, "It's just that I don't wanna let you go next week."

ALLY's POV:  
Oh my god, Austin almost kissed me! I asked him what was so important about me going on tour with him. Then he looked me straight in the eye. He was about to say something when he leaned in still looking at my eyes. I thought he was going to kiss me because we were so close, I could feel his breathing but when he got one millimeter away from my face, he leaned back quickly like nothing had just happened and told me that his plans weren't really that important. I calmly said, "Okay," when on the inside, I was FREAKING OUT!

"Hey, listen Ally. I got to go. I just came to say hi anyway." He stood up.

"Okay." I stood up too and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. He didn't hug back at first but then relaxed in my hug and wrapped his arms around my waist. After a few seconds, I tried pulling away but he held me there. As much as I wanted to stay in that position forever, I had to get back to work.

"Um… Austin, you okay?"

"Yeah," he said finally pulling away from our hug, "It's just that I don't wanna let you go next week."

I smiled. "Austin, don't worry about me. I just want you to have fun on your tour."

"But how am I supposed to have fun when one of the most important people in my life isn't going to be experiencing one of the most important steps in my life?"

I was silent. "…I'm sorry Austin."

"It's not your fault. I'm just really gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too, but can we save the goodbyes for next week? I don't wanna cry right now," I said smiling but tearing up.

"Okay, okay," he said giving me another hug. "Let's just spend a bunch of time together until this Friday."

I nodded and smiled. We let go of eachother.

"So," he said, " wanna go get some pizza?"

"Sure!" All of a sudden, my phone started ringing. I took it out of my pocket to see that it was Ronnie calling. "Oh, I got to take this." I put the phone next to my ear. "Hello?

"Hello, Ms. Dawson. I was wondering if you could come on down to the studio right now to start recording your first song."

I looked at Austin. I really wanted to hang out with him.

"Um… do you mind if I come by next week instead. I really wanna hang with my friends while they're still here."

"I'm sorry. This is the only time this week I'll need you. After today, you have the rest of the week to be with your friends."

"Okay. Thanks Ronnie!"

"Yep. Just be by the studio in fifteen minutes."

"Got it!" I hung up. I looked at Austin. "That was Ronnie. He needs me at the studio right now. Today's the only day he needs me this week though, so I can hang out with you every day besides today until you go off to tour."

"Oh, okay. Well, have fun recording your song. Meet me at my house when you're done."

"I will. See ya!" I gave him another quick hug and without even realizing it I plucked a quick kiss on Austin's cheek and pulled away. OH my god. What did I just do? Austin looked shocked. To be honest, I was shocked as well. I couldn't believe that I just did that! We were friends and even though I really liked him, now I was scared. What if he didn't like me back and that kiss weirded him out. I bit my lip and ran out of the room, down the stairs, out of Sonic Boom and headed to the studio trying not to think about what the heck just happened.

AUSTIN's POV:

Ally was getting ready to leave when I told her to meet me at my house when she was done at the studio. She said, "I will. See ya," then guess what she did. She pulled me in for another quick hug and she kissed me! Granted, it was only on the cheek but still, SHE KISSED ME! After she did, he looked at me, bit her lip, then left. I wanted to stop her and spin her around into a real kiss but she left so sudden and I was so frozen in excitement that I didn't get a chance to. Once she left, I smiled and I couldn't stop smiling. I was so happy that I literally skipped out of Sonic Boom and bumped right into Dez.

"Hey Austin," Dez said.

"Hey buddy,"

"You seem happy," he said.

I sighed of happiness. "Is it really that obvious?"

He laughed. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Well," I smiled. "I was just hanging out with Ally and—"

"Oh, that explains it."

I gave him a look. "What?"

"It"s so obvious you still like her!"

"No, it's not!" I practically yelled at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever. Just tell me why you're so happy now."

"Well, I was hanging out with Ally and I almost kissed her…"

"See," Dez yelled excitedly, "I knew you liked her!"

"Shh, I don't want anybody to hear us, besides, there's more!"

"More," Dez asked. "What else happened?"

"Well, she had to leave for something with Ronnie and when she said goodbye, she kissed my cheek!"

"Oh my god," Dez said, "She must like you too!"

I bit my lip. "She might but you never know. It could've just a best-friend kiss on the cheek, nothing more!"

"Could be," Dez said, "but I think she does still like you. Are you still planning on telling her you like her in Paris?"

I frowned. That was the sad part of the day. "Well, actually Dez, Ally told me she can't come on tour with me."

"What?! But why?"

"Ronnie needs her the next four months."

"But what about your plans with Paris?"

I shrugged.

Dez's face lit up. "I know what you have to do!"

"What?"

"You have to tell her before we leave next week."

"I already considered doing that but I'm scared. What if she doesn't like me back?"

"Dude," Dez put his hand on my shoulder. "She just kissed you."

"On the cheek," I reminded him.

"Whatever. You NEED to tell her before Friday and if you won't tell her, I'll tell her myself."

I shook my head. "Please don't!"

"I'm sorry buddy, but you have to face what your heart truly desires."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head again.

"Come on, Austin," Dez said. "You have to listen to me. I'm the love whisperer."

"Oh my god! NO ONE calls you that!"

"Whatever. Let's just let it go right now. But I'm not kidding about telling her you like her if you don't give up the courage to."

"UGH!"

ALLY's POV:

-At the studio-

"Thank you for being here, Ally. I know you wanted to be with your friends this week so thanks for making time for work."

I sighed. "No problem."

He smiled. "Let's get started, shall we?"

"We shall." We were in a room with a recording box, a sound system and some nice, comfy couches. "Go on in to the recording box, put the headphones and and we'll start playing the music through them. You know how to do this right?"

I nodded and walked on in to the box and put my headphones on. The music started blaring and I sang the song that I just made this afternoon before Austin walked into the practice room.

"I don't wanna say goodbye.

I wanna keep you in my sights.

I love you way too much to let it show.

I don't wanna say goodnight.

Pretty please, stay with me tonight.

I love you way too much to let you go.

But I know that I can't stop you

From doing what you want to do

I know that I can't keep you

From your dreams that are finally coming true.

I guess that all I can do is sit here and try to find

A way that I can let you go

When you were almost mine.

I'm falling, down the stairs.

I'm dreaming, that you'd save me there.

I'm caring, too much. I'm tearing apart.

I'm drowning, in my tears

I really want you here

But I can't keep you

No, I can't keep you, boy

I don't wanna make you feel bad

Though, without you, I am sad

I need you.

You're my happiness.

If you love something, set it free.

That's what they say love has to be.

I'll try to do it.

But please come back to me

I guess that all I can do is sit here and try to find

A way that I can let you go

When you were almost mine.

I'm falling, down the stairs.

I'm dreaming, that you'd save me there.

I'm caring, too much. I'm tearing apart.

I'm drowning, in my tears

I really want you here

But I can't keep you

No, I can't keep you, boy

I wanna keep you, boy

I wanna love you, boy

I wanna be yours, boy

Oooooooooooh

I want you to keep me, boy

I want you to love me, boy

I want you to be mine

Oooooooooooh

But I know that I can't stop you

From doing what you want to do

I know that I can't keep you

From your dreams that are finally coming true.

I guess that all I can do is sit here and try to find

A way that I can let you go

When you were almost mine.

I'm falling, down the stairs.

I'm dreaming, that you'd save me there.

I'm caring, too much. I'm tearing apart.

I'm drowning in my tears

I really want you here

I really want you here

But I can't keep you

No, I can't keep you

I wish I could keep you…

Boy"

The music slowed to a stop and I took the headphones off.

"Perfect. Normally, I would make you sing it two or three more times but since you want to be with your friends and you sang it so perfectly already, I'll let you go right now, unless you want to record some melodies before you go."  
"I guess I'll record a few melodies."

I sang a few of the lines again to create the harmony in the song. If you haven't guessed by now, I wrote the song about Austin. I had to let him go on tour. I wanted him to stay with me 'cause I love him but I know that I can't stop him from living his dreams. Even though I'm pretty much dying inside knowing we'll be away from each other for so long, I don't want to keep him from this amazing opportunity.

"Okay, you're good to go," Ronnie said once I took my headphones on again.

I said goodbye and left for Austin's house. I promised him I'd stop by later today so we could hang out. When I knocked on the door, he opened it immediately.

"Hey, Ally," he greeted me, "How'd your first recording session go?"

"Great. Ronnie's really nice. He let me go early so I could meet up with you."

He smiled. "Cool. So do you still wanna get some pizza?"

"Sure," I said.

"Okay, just let me get my jacket."

I nodded. He went back in for second and came out with his jacket on.

"Let's go," he said.

We walked to Tim's Square Pizza, the pizza place down the road from the mall and ordered a large pepperoni. We sat down in a booth and started eating.

"So," Austin said, "What song did you end up recording with Ronnie today? Finally Me?"

"Actua lly, no," I said, "I recorded a new one that I actually just wrote today."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really. What's it called?"

"It's called, 'I can't keep you.'"

He nodded. "What's it about?"

I hesitated. I couldn't tell him it was about him and even if I gave him another definition of what the song was about, he'd still probably be able to guess it was about him. Who knows? He might not figure it out. "Um… the songs about how difficult it is to let the ones you love go."

"So, it's a love song?"

I looked down. "I guess you could say that." I took another bite of the slice of pizza I was eating.

Austin looked at my lips. "Um… Ally you, uh… got a little something…"

"What?"

He reached over the table and put his thumb out to rub the side of my lip. I must have had pizza sauce there that I hadn't noticed. When he obviously rubbed all the sauce off, he kept his thumb right there and stared into my eyes. I stared into his too. He started to lean in.

"Austin?"

He blinked and once he realized what he was doing, he pulled his thumb away and looked down embarrassed.

"So…" he said.

"You know," I exclaimed, "I think I lost my appetite." To be honest, I just got so many butterflies in my stomach, I didn't feel like eating anymore.

"Me too," he said "So… what do you want to do now?"

I shrugged. "What do you want to do? I mean, it's your last week in Miami. You choose."

"Okay," he agreed. "I wanna—" His phone rung. He looked at it. "Oh, I gotta take this. It's my mom."

On the phone I heard him say, "Hello… Yes Mom… What do you mean… Tomorrow... Do I have to... Yes, I know it's her birthday but do we really have to stay that long... No, I'm not being selfish... But… Ugh, fine… Okay, I'll be there in a second." He hung up and put his phone down. "Ally," he said, "please don't hate me but that was my mom. We're leaving in two hours to go to Orlando for a few days. It's my aunt's birthday tomorrow and I have to go."

I sighed. "When will you back?"

"Um… Wednesday next week…?"

My eyes widened. "What?! But we were supposed to spend the whole week together!"

"I know. I'm sorry but I have to go right now. See you Wednesday." He got up.

I blinked back my tears. This was such short notice. He was leaving me for four days, coming back to spend two days with me, then leaving again for four months. This was unbelievable.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you then." I smiled half-heartedly and got up to hug him. When I let go of him, I blinked back my tears again until he left the restaurant. Then, I ran into the bathroom and cried my eyes out. How could I let him go? I loved him too much.

I thought about the lyrics to my song. "I'm drowning, in my tears. I really want you here, but I can't keep you." I wasn't exactly drowning but I felt like I was awfully close to it. I didn't want Austin to leave. Not without me, anyway.


End file.
